The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Internal combustion engines draw air into an intake manifold through an induction system that may be regulated by a throttle. The air is distributed to a plurality of cylinders and combined with fuel to create an air/fuel (A/F) mixture. Pistons within the cylinders compress the A/F mixture. The compressed A/F mixture is then combusted. The combustion of the A/F mixture drives the pistons which rotatably turn a crankshaft and generate drive torque.
The fuel may include fossil fuels. For example, the fuel may be petroleum (i.e., gasoline) or natural gas. Natural gas may be pressurized and referred to as compressed natural gas (CNG). Specifically, CNG is pressurized and stored in pressure-regulated fuel tanks instead of a typical fuel tank. CNG-powered vehicles may include a plurality of fuel tanks for storing CNG fuel. For example, the fuel tanks may be cylindrically or spherically shaped. The fuel tanks may be stored in a trunk of the vehicle or underneath the vehicle.